Chapter 19: The Strong Ones Cry Too
The Dream House
Book One
The abandoned building wasn't what surprised me.
Sinnad was.
The fact that he was standing there.
Waiting.
As if he'd somehow known we were coming.
That was the part I couldn't get out of my head.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
The wind moved through the trees surrounding the property.
Somewhere nearby a loose piece of metal rattled.
The place felt forgotten.
Like the world had abandoned it years ago.
Sinnad finally broke the silence.
"You shouldn't be here."
Selena immediately folded her arms.
That was never a good sign.
"That's funny."
Sinnad looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because you seem to be here."
I looked at Luna.
Luna looked at me.
The fight had officially started.
Wonderful.
Sinnad didn't react.
Not even a little.
"I didn't say I shouldn't be here."
The man was impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
Selena took a step forward.
"You always answer questions like that?"
"Only the ones that deserve it."
I physically turned away.
Because if I looked at Selena's face, I was going to laugh.
The expression she was making belonged on a billboard.
Luna stepped between them.
"Can we focus on the building?"
Thank you, Luna.
The only adult among us.
Sinnad's eyes shifted toward the old structure.
For the first time since arriving, something changed in his expression.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
Recognition.
The kind people have when they revisit an old memory.
And suddenly...
I wasn't sure this was our mystery anymore.
Maybe it was his too.
"How do you know this place?" Selena asked.
This time her voice was quieter.
More serious.
Sinnad didn't answer immediately.
He stared at the symbol above the entrance.
Then sighed.
The kind of sigh people make when they know the conversation they're about to have won't be easy.
"My father used to bring me here."
The answer surprised all of us.
Even Selena.
Especially Selena.
Because suddenly the mysterious barber wasn't mysterious anymore.
He was someone's son.
Someone with memories.
Someone with a history.
A real person.
"What is this place?" Luna asked.
Sinnad looked at her.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"I know what it was."
The wind picked up again.
"I don't know what it became."
That answer somehow felt worse.
Before anyone could ask another question, a sound interrupted us.
A woman's voice.
Soft.
Fragile.
Crying.
We all turned.
An elderly woman sat on a bench near the side of the property.
I have no idea how none of us noticed her before.
She looked exhausted.
Her hands trembled.
Her eyes were red.
She was crying quietly.
The kind of crying people do when they don't want anyone to know they're hurting.
Instinctively Luna started walking toward her.
Of course she did.
Luna would probably comfort a bear if it looked sad enough.
The woman wiped her eyes.
"I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize," Luna said gently.
The woman smiled weakly.
"I always do."
That sentence hit harder than it should have.
I watched as Luna sat beside her.
No speeches.
No advice.
Just presence.
The woman looked toward the building.
"My husband proposed to me here."
We all froze.
The woman laughed softly.
A sad laugh.
"My goodness..."
She shook her head.
"We were children."
The tears returned.
"My George has been gone three years."
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Sometimes silence is more respectful than words.
The woman continued.
"I came here because I couldn't remember his voice anymore."
That one hurt.
Actually hurt.
The kind of sentence that reaches inside your chest.
I glanced toward Selena.
And immediately noticed something.
She wasn't looking at the woman.
She was looking away.
Toward the trees.
Toward nothing.
Her jaw was tight.
Too tight.
Then I saw it.
A tear.
Just one.
Quickly wiped away.
Almost invisible.
If I hadn't known her, I would've missed it.
Selena Purpose.
The strongest person I knew.
The woman who solved problems.
The woman who carried everybody.
The woman who always had a plan.
Crying.
Not because of the old woman.
Not entirely.
Because something about that story had found a crack in her armor.
And for the first time...
I realized Selena was carrying something she had never told us.
Something heavy.
Something painful.
Something she wasn't ready to talk about.
Yet.
And standing beside me, I noticed something even stranger.
Sinnad had seen it too.
He didn't say anything.
He didn't point it out.
He didn't embarrass her.
He simply looked away.
As if protecting a secret she hadn't even shared.
And somehow...
That made me trust him a little more.
Which was unfortunate.
Because I had a feeling trusting Sinnad Leinad was going to make life a lot more complicated.